


floriography

by spacedadpicard



Category: A Plague Tale: Innocence (Video Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Family, Friendship, Gen, Non-Canonical Character Death, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Sorry Arthur, That somebody is Rodric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:47:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22670464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacedadpicard/pseuds/spacedadpicard
Summary: A collection of drabbles, taking place before, during, and after A Plague Tale: Innocence, charting the relationship between the De Rune children and their small cast of friends, and the unconditional love shared between them.
Relationships: Amicia de Rune & Beatrice de Rune & Hugo de Rune, Amicia de Rune & Hugo de Rune, Lucas & Amicia de Rune, Lucas & Hugo de Rune, Melie & Amicia de Rune, Rodric & Hugo de Rune, Rodric/Amicia de Rune
Comments: 3
Kudos: 23





	floriography

"I hate him."

"Oh, Lady Amicia…" 

"No. I hate him. I  _ hate _ him." From the other room, the baby could be heard squalling. Amicia could hear her mother cooing and shushing, and the soft, low rumble of her father's voice muffled through the wall. The girl listened for a few moments, face slowly turning beet red, and then—exploded. "I wish he were dead!"

"Now, don't say that, my lady." Louise ran the comb through her hair with one especially vicious tug and Amicia yelped, wincing. "Begging your pardon, my lady." 

The girl's eyes narrowed. "I'm not a little idiot! You did that on purpose."

Louise just continued as if Amicia hadn't even spoken. "He's just a boy. A baby. I know you miss your mother, but—"

" _ And _ my father," Amicia put in, voice sharp, insistent. "I never see either of them anymore."

"And that will change," Louise promised. Now her hands were gentle in her hair, parting off sections and easing the comb through, teasing apart the knots. "Just as soon as your brother is well again."

_ Your brother _ . Amicia bristled at that. But Louise’s voice was kind and soothing, and, more than anything, the girl wanted to believe her. So she said nothing, and instead sat in silence, blinking over at the distant window. Outside, climbing roses gathered beneath the frame, heads bobbing in a light summer’s breeze. The first flowers were beginning to fade already, their petals scattered on the ground down below, gleaming like gemstones in the dirt. Amicia knew that it wouldn’t be too much longer before they were all gone, leaving only black, bare, thorny twigs behind.

“And when will that be?” 

Louise sighed. Her nimble fingers worked gently through Amicia’s chestnut hair, braiding the strands together and coiling them neatly atop her head. A ribbon was woven through her locks, pink and silken to the touch. “It’s hard to say, my lady. But hopefully it will be before too long.”

With that, Louise stepped around her, holding Amicia by the shoulders to observe her handiwork. “There. You’re done. And you look beautiful.” With a warm smile, she reached up and gently brushed back a few errant strands of hair from the girl’s cheek, tucking them behind her ear. “With beauty like yours, princes will be lining up out the door just to cast eyes on you. You’ll see.”

The girl snorted, but smiled nonetheless. “I don’t care about that.” And it was true. She was more concerned with keeping her hair out of her eyes; what kind of a knight would she be if she couldn’t see where she was going?

Laughing, Louise gave her head a little shake, and, after one final look of appraisal, stepped back and made for the door. “Be careful this time, won’t you? If I have to prick myself full of holes sewing up another tear in your britches, I’ll—”

“I’ll be careful, Louise. I promise.” Laughter rang in Amicia’s voice. She swivelled around on her stool to face Louise, and when their eyes met, hers were sparkling. “On my honour as a knight!” Louise laughed in response, shaking her head; Amicia could hear her muttering to herself as she walked away down the corridor. And then—

Silence. Peaceful and perfect, and, most of all, unexpected. Outside, the rose bushes rustled, a gust of wind sending down a flurry of red petals. Somewhere, Lion was barking—no doubt chasing one of the chickens in the courtyard. But in the house, there was only quiet. Amicia thought to herself that she’d be able to hear a pin drop all the way downstairs.

Pushing herself to her feet, she padded down the hall and through the open door to the baby’s quarters. Nearing his room, she could hear her mother humming, and Hugo’s soft, burbling coos. It was with no small amount of hesitation that Amicia stepped inside, gaze trained on her brother’s cot. Part of her was worried that the second he saw her he would start screaming again, and the silence would be broken.

Thankfully, she was wrong.

“Amicia.” Her mother sounded tired. Amicia looked to her, sitting in a chair by the window, and thought that, even wan and worn, she looked so very beautiful. “I thought you were your father. I don’t know what’s taking him so long.” Shifting a little in her seat, she sighed. “Have you come to see your brother?” 

“He was crying. Was it the sickness?”

Beatrice stretched a little in her chair, settling into it and leaning her head back. For a long moment, she was silent. “He’s alright for the moment.”

Amicia nodded. Only then did she finally near the cot, peeping inside at her brother. He was not asleep as she expected, and she was met by a pair of wide, grey eyes blinking up at her, shining wetly in the light filtering in through the window. He had a rag doll clenched in his tiny hands; it was half the size of him. Amicia smiled at the thought.

“You can hold him, if you want.”

“Eh? Oh. No, no. I don’t—”

“It’s alright, Amicia. You don’t have to.”

Amicia nodded. For a moment she just stood there, deep in thought. And then, reaching in, she took the doll’s arm between finger and thumb and waved it gently. When she spoke, her voice came out a half-whisper. “Hello, Hugo. It’s me. Your sister. Amicia.”

Silence. Well, what else did she expect?

“I’m sorry you’re sick. But you won’t be for long.” 

Silence. A burble. Despite herself, Amicia felt her lips twitching into the beginnings of a smile. She moved to pull her hand back, but before she could she felt his tiny fingers wrap around one of her own, surprisingly strong for such a small little thing. 

“He’s holding my hand,” she said, looking up at their mother. 

“He likes you,” Beatrice replied. She was smiling now—tired, but true. “You’re his sister; he knows it.” At that, Amicia’s smile broadened, and she ducked her head to hide it. “He knows you’ll keep him safe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the first installment of this series of drabbles. Please leave a comment if you feel so inclined! 
> 
> I do have a lot on my plate right now, so I can't really say with any certainty when the next update will be. But I will try to get it to you all before too long!


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